Milk bottle cap



sePtl, 1931 l F. M. HAMMER 1,821,467

MILK BOTTLE`GAP Filed Dec. so. 1927 Z9 dl/IIII/I//IIIIIIIIIII//IA lilatented Sept. 193ifiv FERDINAND M. HAMZMER,

0F BUFFALO, -Nnw YORK MILK. BOTTLE CAP Application filed December V30, 1927. kSerial No. 243,595. i

My invention relates to milk bottle caps, and more particularly to that type provided with a pull-lip or tab. Y

Milk bottle caps provided with pull-lips 5 or tabs are undesirable, for the reason that iii-that type of cap having the pull-lip or tab extending from its edge, the bending up or over of the lip destroys the true circulan edge of the oap,`and causes a flattened portion 10 at the edge which permits leakage of milk from the bottle. It also forms a slight space between the upstanding liange at the top of the bottle and the cap, at least the full width of the lip or tab extending therefrom,

therewith and formed on the upper surfaceY thereof, many of which are now in use,- although not as desirable as a marginal pulllip or tab, due to the fact that the cap is not as readily removable from the bottlethe lip is easily torn from the bodyl of the cap, owing to itsboing approximately onehalf the thickness of the cap and being cut from the body of the cap after the cap is paraiiined; thu exposing to the elements of the weather, or at least rendering small opposing surfaces of the cap and the lip or tab 5 to moisture, which is easily absorbed by the shredded librous layers which are torn or eut one from the other. When such surfaces are moistened they become weakened to a degree incapable of withstanding the pulling strain applied to the pull-lip or tab in attempting to remove the cap from thebottle; e

this being particularlytrue after the cap has been removed and applied a number of times,

as is generally practiced in housekeeping.

lt is one of the objects of my invention to and thus permits the lodgeinent of foreignA provide a simple,k inexpensive Aand practicable milk bottle cap in which the above-men tioned objections are obviated.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a milk bottle cap with a marginal pull-lip or tab so formed that a true circular y edge is retained for the cap and so that the edge of the cap will, at every point thereof, be in firm contact with the upstanding flange of the conventional milk bottle; thus assuring a perfect sealing cap7 even though'amarginal pull-lip orrtah is provided.' p.

fr stillfurther object ofmyinvention is the provision of a milk bottle cap in which a marginal pull-lip or tab is formed thereon, and wherein this pull-lip ortab is severed or cut through one-half its thickness, ror 'ap proXimately so7 along a curved line forming a continuation of the edge of the body of the` cap.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a milk bottle cap with a marginal pull-lip or tab normally bentupon the body of thecap and held in contact therewith and so arranged to permit the free end of the pull-lip or tab to be readily taken hold of.

Vith the above and kother objects inview,l

the invention consists in the novel features Yof construction andL in the varrangement .and

Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthiezbottle as shown in Fig. l. v

Fig. 3 is a bottoni view ofthe cap` with its marginal pull-lip or tab before bending the ,latter onto the upper side of the cap.r

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 4 4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 .is a view similar to Fig. 4f, showing l the marginal pull-lip'or tab partly bent up- Ward and slightly over the upper surface of the cap preparatory to final placement.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the pulllip or tab bent down against the upper surface of the cap.

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the marginal pull-lip or tab vfastened in its position against the upper surface of the cap and slightly compressed' into the body of the cap.

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the completed ca IFig. 9 is a perspective view of the cap viewed from the bottom and showing the marginal pull-lip or tab bent at an angle to to the body of the cap so as to show the sep- Y aration or cut between the body -of the cap and the pull-lip or tab through one-half of their thickness.

Fig. 10 is a transverse section taken on line 10-10, Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing the pulllip or tab bent down onto the surface of the cap and a retainer, in the form of a Wire staple, passed through vthe cap under- 'l neath .the pull-lip or tab to prevent tearing or separation of the latter from the body por tion of the cap.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged section through a portion of a cap showing my invention in slightly modified form. l

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a portion of a cap viewed from the bottom and showing the pull-lip or tab bent at an angle to the body of the cap; also showing in dotted lines the incision or cut formed i-n the body ofthe cap from the edge thereof at the base of thepull-lip or tab.

F ig. 14 is a top plan view of a particular type of .cap having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 15 is a section through the cap taken on Vline 15-15, Fig. 14.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 16 designates a milk bottle having .the -usual cap-seat 17 formed in the upper edge lthereof and theupstanding flange 18 eX- tending upwardly from and around said capseat, and against which the edge of a milk bottle cap is adapted to frictionally engage. This cap is of the paper or cardboard type commonly used, and it isstamped into circular formation so as to marginally rest on the cap-seat 17 and have its edge in frictional contact at all points with the upstanding flange 18. Milk bottle caps of this type, in order to serve as a seal and be liquid-tight, require a firm seat and positivev Contact with the up` standing flange of a milk bottle, and caps having marginal pull-lips or tabs fail to meet these requirements, due to the fact that in bending the pullslip or tab at an angle to the body of the cap, the'cap is flattened at the edge, at least the full width of the pull-lip or tab, and invariably along a greater width,so =thatthe edge of the cap does not have contact with the upstanding flange of the bottle at all points thereof. A space or crevice is consequently provided, between the iiange 18 of the bottle and the cap along the region of the pull-lip or tab, in which foreign matter may find lodgement, such matter being loosened and poured with the milk or else finding final lodgement in the bottle.

My improved cap has a circular body portion 19 of a diameter to conform to the internal diameter of the. flanged portion 18 of the bottle so that it will contact at all points with the internal surface of said flange.

It also has extending from its edge a pulllip or tab 20, which is partly cut from the body portion 19 along a curved line 21 forming a continuation of the outline of said body .portion The cut 21 extends only partly through the material from which the body portion and pull-lip or tab is formed, as best indicated in Fig. 4. vWith a cap so formed, the under side of the pull-lip or tab is bent upwardly and over against the upper surface of thewcap, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, and when so bent, at least the lower half of the cap has a true circular formation due to the fact that the lower half 22 of the edge of the cap at the region of the lip or tab is as smoothly cut as and is a true continuation of the remainder' of the edge of the cap.

ln drawings the pull-lip or tab up and over against the upper surface of the cap, all portions of the material forming said pull lip are drawn inwardly towards the center of the cap so that no portion thereof extends outwardly beyond the cut po-rtion 22 at the edge of the body of the cap, and preferably the pull-lip or tab so formed and fashioned is pressed into the body portion, as shown in Fig. 7, forming a slight depression 23 in the body portion of the. cap and somewhat compressing the material in the region of the pull lip. The pull-lip or tab is held in Contact with the body portion and in the depression 23 of the cap by means of a retainer device,

preferably a wire Vstaple 24, which is, in one form of use, passed transversely over the pull-lip or tab and driven through the body portion of the cap at opposite sides of said lip or tab and thence bent inwardly against the under side of the body portion of the cap. This wire staple or lip retainer, as it may also be termed, will be well pressed into the material from which the cap is formed and it is placed in close proximity to the edge of the cap, for the reason that the closer the connection of the pull-lip or tab is to theedge of the cap, the more readily can the cap be removed from the milk bottle. By fastening a pull-lip or tab at or near its base to the Q body portionof the cap, all possibility of this lip or'tab becoming torn fro-m `the body portion is eliminated. It may here be stated that the capr illustrated in the drawings is, for

clearness, exaggerated in thickness and it is Cil completed to the form shown in Figs. 2 and 7, before coating it with paraliine, so that the fibers of the material will not absorb moisture in the event that they become torn at any point above the smoothly cut portion 22.

In the modification shown in Fig. 11, the wire staple or retainer 24 is passed through the body portion of the cap and lies underneath the pull-lip or tab, and while strain applied to said lip or tab may possibly cause separation of the libers directly above the smoothly cut portion 22 forming a continuation of the edge of the body portion, separation of the layers or bers of material beyond the staple cannot take place. This construction, however, retains the advantage of having the pull-lip or tab at the extreme edge of the body portion of the cap.

In the modification shown in Figs. 12 and 13, an incisio-n 25 is made in the edge of the body portion of the cap directly above the smooth surfaced cut portion 22 formed by partly severing the pull-lip or tab from the body portion. The wire staple or retainer is shown passed through the body portion of the cap in the same manner as illustrated in Fig. 11. The separation of the fibers formed by the cut 25 enables the pull-lip or tab to be drawn upwardly and over onto the upper surface of the cap'more readily than in the prior constructions illustrated, and it has the advantage that when coating the cap with pai-affine. the paraiiine may enter and coat the separated fibers or layers formed by the cut 25. If desired, the wire staple or fastener may be passed over the pull-lip or tab and driven through the body portion of the cap in the same manner as illustrated in Fig. 7.

The slit or cut 25 may be made in various ways and over any given area, but preferably as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 13, it is of a width equaling that of the pull-lip or tab and the degree of entrance approximately as shown.

In Figs. 14 and 15 I have illustrated a milk bottle cap of the type on which I secured Patent No. 1,431,790, dated October 10, 1922, and in this cap a groove or indentation 26 is provided, which is disposed at vright angles to the pull-lip or tab and extends across the cap, terminating short of the edges thereof. lVhen using this type of cap the pull-lip or tab 2O terminates above the groove 26 so that spaces provided around and underneath the end of the lip to enable the latter to be easily taken hold of and lifted to pull the ca-p from the bottle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. A milk bottle cap having a marginal pull-lip and having the pull-lip partly sevcred from the body portion of the cap at the under side and along a curved line which is a true continuation of the circular edge of 3. A milk bottle cap having a body portion and a marginal pull-lip, said cap having a curved incision on its underside forming a continuation of the circular-like edge of the cap, said curved incision and the circular-like edge of the cap describing a true circle.

4. A milk bottle cap having a circular body portion and a marginal pull-lip bent upwardly from the edge thereof and severed at its base through a portion of its thickness to create a true circular edge for the body portion from its under surface upwardly, and retaining means fastened to said body portion near the edge thereof to prevent tearing away of said pull-lip under strain.

5. A milk bottle cap having a circular body portion and a marginal pull-lip bent upwardly from the edge thereof and severed at its base through a portion of its thickness to create a true circular edge for the body portion from its under surface upwardly, and retaining means fastened to said body. portion near the edge thereof to prevent tearing away of said pull-lip under strain,

said body portion being slit from its edge inwardly at the base of the severed portion of said pull-lip.

6. A milk bottle cap having a body portion and a marginal pull-lip, said pull-lip being partly cut through` along a curved line forming a continuation of the circular edge of said body portion and in conjunction with said edge describing a true circle, said body portion being slit inwardly from its edge parallel with the upper and lower surfaces thereof at the cut formed to partly sever y said pull-lip from said body portion.

7 A milk bottle cap havinga body portion and a marginal pull-lip, said pull-lip being partly cut through along a curved line forming a continuation of the circular edfre of said body portion and in conjunction with said edge describing a true circle, said body portion being slit inwardly from its edge parallel with the upper and lower surfaces thereof at the cut formed to partly sever said pull-lip from said body portion, and retaining means fastened in said body portion near the edge thereof to prevent tearing apart of the fibers of saidl body portion beyond the slit formed therein.

8. A milk bottle cap having a body portion and a marginal pull-lip, said pull-lip being partly cut through along a curved line forining a continuation of the circular edge of said body portion and in conjunction with said edge describing a true circle, said body portion being slit inwardly from its edge parallel With the upper and lower surfaces thereof at the eut formed to partly sever said pull-lip from said body portion, and a Wire staple passed over the pull-lip near the base thereof and driven through the body portion of said Cap nea-r the edge thereof to prevent separation or" said pull-lip from said body portion. Y

"In Witness whereof, I aix my signature.

FERDINAND M. HAMMER. 

